Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-05-28
CGUR-BRISE.

-lsa UtEUn -DhlOE.
Marion Derby, tall, fair, exceptionally
beautiful, comes in from brisk walk on
the sands, strolls, bright eyed and rosy
and smiling, down the esplanade which
fronts the Hygeia at Old Point Comfort,
and drops into chair In the pavilion.
The wind blows freshly up from the
Chesapeake, and the pavilion, which is
built out into the water, is like the deck
of a ship at sea. Marion suggests pic
trre of fair, fresh March. She sits star
ing out on the dancing, breeze tossed
waters, her white gown blown about her,
and her broad brimmed hat caught
in the gale and tapped impertinently
about her bright face. Finally rowdy
blast tears it off her shining head and
carries it away in mad frolic, FORUM
ately shoreward. Marion rushes for it
with evaporation, but i eludes her pur-
suit, as hats will, and go,s spinning just
out of her reach down the esplanads. 1t
is June, an off season at the Hygeia, and
the place is comparatively deserted.
Marion had the chase all to herself, until,
as she reached the ball room, young
man, standing in an open doorway,
darted forward ahead of the hat, caught
it and restored ia young man with a
dark, refined, handsome face. ga Span
iard," thought Marion as she took her
hat, with eager thanks, and put it on,
and held it down with two firm white
hands. The young man looked at her
with a sudden quickening Of the
pulses. Love at first sight happens just
often enough in well regulated modern
society to redeem it from absolute, pro-
sale commonplace. r......,... KS
Leonce Brissaye gave the careless,
lovely girl before him his heart then and
there. He gave her also curious, panied
expression. Let me see: it was like a
man under sentence of death who an
hour before his execution is shown a
brilliant, mocking panorama of what life
might be in beauty and sweetness. There!
l have given you the key note of my story.
Robert Derby and his and Marion's
cousin, Lily Fayre, came down the ball
room suddenly and joined our two.
Robert was an army lieutenant on a
months leave from his post In the far
west. They were here for fortnight,
and Marion was chaperoning her brother
desperate wooing Of Lily, who blew hot
one day and cold the next, a capricious
little gypsy beauty, as contradictory as
her name was to herself. Brissaye lifted
his hat and walked away, as Robert ex-
claimed: "Hullo! there you are, Marion.
We have been looking for you all over the
p~sn
of hearing, "Who's your friend?"
''You ask too much. He had just
caught my hat from the teeth of the wind
when you came up"
''Looks Spanish-Cuban," suggested
Lily. - .aF.
Think so?" Robert demurred. "He
looks more to me- But at that mo-
ment the band tramped into the ball
room and cut short his sentence. They
clashed and crashed march which signi-
fled that it was dinner time.
The Hygeia is like great conserve
tory, all out of doors, inclosed in sheets of
glass. Every one is conspicuous; every
one sees every one else. In the middle of
the airy, glaring dining hall sat white
haired, white bearded gentleman tran
gully eating his soup; next him sat
Leonce, melancholy and dark. "Do you
know who those two men are?' Robert
Derby inquired, indicating the pair to an
acquaintance who sat next him at the
table. a-.... .
"Bishop-Bishop Mainwaring, of the
English church. The other man is his
secretary. Very unusual, able man, the
bishop. Making tour of this country.
Had a diocese in Africa somewhere.
''Oh," Robert said, and stared at the
bishop; then at the secretary, but longer
at the secretary. 'That accounts. Picked
him up there, I suppose?"
"Picked whom up where?"
''The dark fellow looks like a colored
man." s..
''What nonsense!" cried Marion.
"What an idea!' Lily interjected.
''You're wrong there" said the ac-
quaintance. ''He's a Frenchman. Born
in Algeria. was told SO by friend of
the bishop"
But Robert insisted. Looks .uncom-
monty as though he had darby blood in
his veins. The type is unmistakable, for
all his straight features.
Brissaye, glancing up, met Marion 8
direct, cloudless gaze fixed upon him.
She withdrew it TRANQUILITY; but dark
flush mounted to his swarthy face.
1.-The fellow knows we are talking
about him. Robert said, heartlessly.
''See him blush.
1--WE did stare" Marion admitted. 81
am sorry. One can see that he is very
sensitive. He looks like an artist.
81 knew tonsorial artist once in New
Orleans who was the image of him. He
called his shop The Studio. That branch
of art"
Robert was blessed with an inquiring
mind, and he liked to be right. In the
course of the afternoon he instituted in
quiries in regard to the English bishop
and his companion, while Marion paid
visits in the fort with Lily. After tea he
spent ten minutes or SO looking for the
girls, whom he finally discovered in the
breezy pavilion wrapped in shawls. The
night was dropping down In her soft dark
mantle, but the girls light dresses were
still distinct in the faint starlight. Robert
made himself entirely at home in chair
next Lily. eve appear to be the only
jewellers, y said he, casting casual glance
about him. ''Let me see! What was it
/ had to tell you?"-you, Marion, es-
pecially. Oh!-I was right about that
private secretary; he is cullud pusson,
sure enough. Chaplain Ayres, of the
fort, told me, and he had it from the
bishop himself. So it comes straight. OF
coorse he has white blood. His grand
father was Frenchman: an exiled mar
ouis. in fact. who gambled away his
patrimony. He makes no secret of his
birth, Ayres says. And the bishop did
pick him up in Algeria. So Green was
half right. But he shows the African
distinctly. It's enough to look at his
wool. Hard to get the kink out of that. :"
A chair scraped behind them; some one
walked away quickly. Marion turned
u u